SAN JOSE — The speeches marking the grand opening of a state-of-the-art fire station in East San Jose on Saturday touched on common themes about its central location and the goals of reducing response times and galvanizing residents with a new community hub.

And, almost as if on cue, with the fanfare of Station 21’s re-dedication in full swing, companies from the San Jose Fire Department hustled to a morning two-alarm attic fire about a mile away.

While those firefighters went to work, more than 200 people packed the three-engine bay of the new facility on South White Road next to Lake Cunningham Park and celebrated a long-overdue upgrade. The previous station, on Mt. Pleasant Road in the east foothills, was a single-family home converted in 1958 and meant to be a “temporary” location.

“That was a house,” said Station 21 fire Capt. Jay Carranza. “This is a station.”

Another station captain, Steven Nelson, had a different image in mind: “This is like a Cadillac.”

The 8,750-square-foot building, funded in large part by a 2002 bond package, actually opened in December to fire personnel. Fire and city officials say it’s designed to grow by 3,000 square feet if it ever has to be expanded.

“This represents moving into the 21st century,” said Vice Mayor Rose Herrera, whose district includes the new fire station. “Today we celebrate the old and the new. We’re grateful to the voters who supported this.”

Among those voters was Evangeline Sangalang, a longtime East Side resident who walked to the dedication, in part to demonstrate its central location. She said she looked forward to the fire station opening long before construction crews broke ground in August 2014.

Its opening was particularly poignant for her because she credits San Jose firefighters for aiding her elderly mother on multiple occasions.

“I’m so happy,” Sangalang said. “It means a lot to us.”

Besides a clean, modern aesthetic that incorporates a traditional brick faade — think Mayberry R.F.D. meets Apple Store — the new station was designed with green eyes. It has skylights that hold down heating costs and an in-house treatment system to clean water before it goes into the city’s storm drains.

It’s also the first fire station in the city to have an elevator.

During the ceremony, which featured sights like a 1950s-era SJFD fire truck juxtaposed with a modern rig, neighborhood residents were feted by the SJFD honor guard and Mt. Pleasant High School’s performance choir. And they listened to speeches from Fire Chief Curtis Jacobson, Mayor Sam Liccardo and Herrera. U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, even presented a congressional resolution recognizing the new station.

A short while in, the audience got the dramatic effect of blaring fire engines racing by. An attic fire was reported about 11:15 a.m. at a one-story home on Mt. Everest Court, about a mile north of the festivities, which were spared from disruption thanks to some crews already working in the area.

Firefighters quickly snuffed out the blaze, adding some weight to one of Jacobson’s key points.

“This is a great home for our firefighters,” he said. “We’re better positioned.”

In a city that in recent years has been plagued by staffing cuts and even some station closures, the expansion was a welcome one to fire administrators.